A fast is broken by deliberately eating, drinking or having marital relations between true dawn and sunset, and also by a few other acts such as deliberate vomiting and the start of menstrual bleeding. It is not broken by eating or drinking out of genuine forgetfulness, unintentional vomiting, swallowing your own saliva, brushing your teeth carefully, or a blood test. These are the fiqh of fasting basics every Muslim needs, and they are among the first topics covered in our Islamic studies course.
Below you will find what breaks the fast, what does not, what you owe if a fast is broken, and the modern questions where scholars hold different views.
Key takeaways
- The fast runs from true dawn (Fajr) to sunset (Maghrib), and the core rule is to refrain from food, drink and marital relations.
- Eating or drinking forgetfully does not break the fast; you simply continue.
- A broken obligatory fast usually needs a make-up day (qada); intercourse during a Ramadan day also requires kaffarah.
- On medical issues like inhalers, injections and eye drops, scholars differ, so ask a qualified scholar about your own case.
The Foundation: What Fasting Is
Fasting (sawm) in Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam, obligatory on every Muslim who is adult, sane, healthy and not traveling. Allah describes the time limits in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:187): eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct from the black thread, then complete the fast until night. You can read how fasting fits alongside the other pillars in our guide to the five pillars of Islam explained.
Two more basics shape everything else:
- Intention (niyyah). It lives in the heart; you do not need to say it aloud. The majority of scholars require the intention for an obligatory fast to be made during the night before Fajr, while the Hanafi school allows it until before midday. Waking up for suhoor with the plan to fast already counts as intention.
- Suhoor and iftar. The Prophet (peace be upon him) encouraged eating suhoor because there is blessing in it, and hastening to break the fast once the sun has set (both reported in Sahih al-Bukhari).
What Breaks the Fast
Scholars agree on the main acts that invalidate a fast when done knowingly, deliberately and by choice:
- Eating or drinking anything, including water, medicine taken by mouth and chewing gum that is swallowed.
- Marital relations during the daytime.
- Deliberately causing ejaculation by any means.
- Deliberately making yourself vomit. A hadith in Sunan Abi Dawud and Jami’ at-Tirmidhi distinguishes between vomiting that overcomes you (no make-up needed) and vomiting on purpose (the day must be made up).
- Menstrual or postnatal bleeding, even if it begins just before sunset. The woman stops fasting and makes up those days later.
- Nutritional drips or injections that replace food and drink.
- Smoking, according to contemporary scholars, since smoke deliberately reaches the throat and stomach.
Many scholars also hold that a firm decision to break the fast ends it, even before eating, though the schools differ on the details.
What Does Not Break the Fast
This list surprises many people, and it removes a lot of unnecessary worry:
- Eating or drinking forgetfully. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that whoever forgets and eats or drinks should complete the fast, because it was Allah who fed them (Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim).
- Unintentional vomiting, or a nosebleed.
- Swallowing your own saliva, or dust and small things you could not avoid.
- Brushing your teeth or using a miswak, as long as nothing is swallowed. Many scholars advise extra care or avoiding toothpaste during the day.
- Rinsing the mouth and nose in wudu, without sniffing water deeply, which the Prophet (peace be upon him) told fasting people to avoid.
- Waking up in a state of major impurity (janabah), including after a wet dream. The Prophet (peace be upon him) sometimes began the fast in this state and then performed ghusl (Sahih al-Bukhari).
- Bathing, showering or swimming, as long as you do not swallow water.
- Blood tests, and according to most contemporary scholars, non-nutritional injections such as vaccines or insulin.
- Applying perfume, creams or oil to the skin.
- Tasting food at the tip of the tongue without swallowing, when there is a need, such as a cook checking salt.
Before you read the rulings on make-up days, try the quick check below and see how much you already know.
Fasting Fiqh Check
Answer 8 quick questions to see how well you know what breaks the fast
What You Owe If a Fast Is Broken
Not every broken fast carries the same consequence. Here is the general picture, following the mainstream positions:
| Situation | What is owed |
|---|---|
| Missed for a valid excuse (illness, travel, menstruation) | Make up each day later (qada) |
| Broken deliberately by eating or drinking without excuse | Repentance and qada; the Hanafi and Maliki schools also require kaffarah |
| Marital relations during a Ramadan day | Repentance, qada and kaffarah |
| Permanently unable to fast (old age, chronic illness) | Fidyah: feed one poor person for each day missed |
| Pregnant or nursing woman who did not fast | Qada; some scholars add fidyah in certain cases, so ask a scholar |
Kaffarah is the major expiation described in Sahih al-Bukhari: freeing a slave, or if that is not possible, fasting two consecutive months, or if that is not possible, feeding sixty poor people. Its heaviness shows how seriously Islam treats a deliberately broken Ramadan fast.
Fidyah comes from Surah Al-Baqarah (2:184), which mentions feeding a poor person for those who cannot fast. The amount is usually set as one meal or a set measure of staple food per day, and local scholars or mosques often announce a cash value.
Exemptions are a mercy, not a loophole. Allah says in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:185) that He intends ease for you and not hardship. If fasting would genuinely harm your health, taking the exemption is the obedient choice. Follow your doctor’s advice and ask a scholar how to make up or compensate.
Modern Questions Where Scholars Differ
Medicine has raised questions the early scholars never faced, and contemporary fiqh councils and scholars have reached different conclusions:
- Asthma inhalers: many contemporary scholars say they do not break the fast because the amount reaching the stomach is tiny; others say they do and the day should be made up.
- Eye and ear drops: the majority view is that they do not break the fast, though some schools hold that drops which reach the throat do.
- Nasal sprays: treated more cautiously, since the nose is a direct passage to the throat.
- Cupping (hijama): the Hanbali school holds it breaks the fast; the majority say it does not, based on a report in Sahih al-Bukhari that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was cupped while fasting.
- Dialysis: many scholars hold that it breaks the fast because of the fluids and nutrients involved.
For situations like these, follow the school you were taught or ask a qualified scholar who knows your circumstances. A good teacher also explains the reasoning behind each view, which is the heart of studying fiqh rather than memorizing lists. Our article on the difference between fiqh and aqeedah explains why fiqh allows this kind of respectful disagreement.
Fasting With the Right Manners
Fiqh tells you when a fast is valid; adab tells you whether it is doing its work. The Prophet (peace be upon him) warned that whoever does not give up false speech and acting on it, Allah has no need of their leaving food and drink (Sahih al-Bukhari). Guarding your tongue, controlling anger and giving generously are part of fasting well. Our guide to Islamic adab in everyday life is a natural companion to this one.
If you want to study the fiqh of fasting, prayer and zakah in order, with the evidence and the views of the schools, one-to-one Islamic studies classes let you ask about your own situation as you learn.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does swallowing saliva break the fast?
No. Swallowing your own saliva does not break the fast, because it cannot be avoided. Scholars do advise spitting out thick phlegm that reaches the mouth rather than swallowing it deliberately.
Can I use toothpaste while fasting?
Brushing does not break the fast as long as you swallow nothing. Because toothpaste has a strong taste and can slip down the throat, many scholars advise using it before Fajr or after Maghrib, or brushing carefully with very little.
What if I ate after Fajr without realizing the time?
Many scholars say you should stop immediately and make up that day, since you ate during the fasting time. Others, comparing it to forgetfulness, say the fast is valid. Because the schools differ, ask a scholar you trust, and in future set an alarm a few minutes before Fajr.
Do I have to make up fasts missed because of my period before the next Ramadan?
Yes, missed Ramadan days must be made up, and scholars encourage doing so before the next Ramadan arrives. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported that women were told to make up missed fasts but not missed prayers (Sahih Muslim).
Where can I learn the fiqh of fasting properly?
Start with a reliable teacher who follows a recognized school and explains the evidence. Our Islamic studies classes for adults cover the fiqh of worship step by step, and a free trial class is an easy way to begin.
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